Senate okays Okoye, Ma’aji, 32 others for SEDC, NWDC boards

The Senate has confirmed all President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the Governing Boards of the North West Development Commission, NWDC and the South East Development Commission, SEDC, respectively.

Those confirmed as announced by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio were Mark Okoye and Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officers of the SEDC and NWDC, respectively.

This was sequel to the adoption of the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Regional Development Commissions, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, APC Abia North, after the screening exercise on each of the nominees.

According to the committee’s report, the nominees had during the screening proved their capacities to manage the affairs of the respective development commissions.

A mild drama, however, ensued as some legislators made a move to invoke Order (1b) to step down the confirmation process for further consultations.

The move was, however, unsuccessful as the Senate voted to dissolve into the Committee of the Whole to consider the report in the course of which all the nominees of both commissions were approved.

The 14 board member nominees of the NWDC are Alhaji Lawal Samai’la Abdullahi as the chairman of the commission and Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.

Others are Dr Yahaya Umar Namahe, Aminu Suleiman, Ja’afar Abubakar Sadeeq, Yahaya Aminu Abdullahi, Muhammad Ali Wudil, Shamsu Sule, Nasidi Ali, Chukwu Chijioke, Ahmed Mohammed, Ahmed Rufai Timasantyu, Macdonalds Michael Uyi and Babatunde Dada.

The 18-member confirmed nominees of the SEDC are led by Dr Emeka Nworgu as the chairman and Mark Okoye as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.

Others are Ugochukwu H. Agballah, Okey kzenwa, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor , Chidi Echeazu, Ifeanyi Agwu, Nasiru Usman, Hamma Adama Ali Kumo Edward David Onoja, Orure Kufre Inima, Daniel Akwari, and Mrs Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma.

The rest are Stanley Ohajuruka as the Executive Director, Finance; Chief Sylvester Okonkwo, Executive Director, Corporate Services; Toby Okechukwu, Executive Director, Projects; Sen, Anthony Agbo, Executive Director, Commercial and Industrial Development; and Dr Clifford Ogbede, Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development.

President Tinubu had four weeks ago submitted a revised list of nominees for the Governing Boards of the regional development commissions to the Senate for confirmation.

Consequently, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio who presided over the plenary referred the nominees to undergo grilling by an Ad-Hoc Committee he created and named Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as its chairman.

During the screening held on Monday, members of the committee sternly warned the nominees for the Governing Boards not to fail Nigerians, adding that they would be closely monitored by the Senate and will not hesitate to expedite their sack if found wanting in unethical acts.

Senate okays Okoye, Ma’aji, 32 others for SEDC, NWDC boards

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